Oroville teens accused in kidnap

Two juveniles from Oroville and a third from Redding kidnapped a Marysville teen at gunpoint on Saturday, as part of a plot to help one of the boys date the victim's girlfriend, authorities said Monday.

Although the gun used in the kidnapping was later found to be an Airsoft pistol, "all three suspects admit they believed that the victim was not going to make it out alive," said Yuba County Undersheriff Jerry Read.

The three male suspects, a 16-year-old and a 17-year-old from the Oroville area, and a 17-year-old from Redding, were arrested for kidnapping, conspiracy and brandishing an imitation firearm in a threatening manner. They were booked into juvenile hall on Saturday. Authorities are not releasing the names of the suspects or the victim because they are juveniles.

While the three were in Yuba County as part of a falsely arranged marijuana deal with the victim, the boys' motive was not drugs or money.

Investigators learned the boys' plan was to kidnap the victim and steal his cellphone so the Redding boy could pose as the victim and break up with his girlfriend. Then the Redding boy planned to call the girl, console her and ultimately try to date her, Read said.

After being apprehended by Yuba County deputies, the teenagers gave different accounts of what they intended to do to the victim, Read said.

The plans ranged from wanting to scare the victim, to breaking his ankles, slicing the bottoms of his feet with a razor blade, cutting his Achilles tendon, to sexually assaulting him, hanging him upside down and slicing his throat, or murdering him.

The boys created a fake Facebook profile and set up a meeting with the Marysville boy on Spring Valley Road for a marijuana transaction, according to Read.

As the victim waited on the road on Saturday afternoon, three males with bandanas around their faces arrived in a Chevy Blazer. The victim called his aunt and asked her to pick him up, Read said.

The vehicle turned around, and the front passenger got out and pointed the gun at the victim and ordered him into the vehicle. The aunt arrived as this occurred and confronted the boys, who then pushed the victim down in the back seat.

The aunt called the police around 1:30 p.m. and said her nephew was being held against his will in a vehicle by someone wearing a mask. She followed the Blazer and provided dispatchers with their location.

A Yuba County sheriff's deputy was able to get in position to stop the vehicle.